Centrifugal separator



'May 1, 1923. 4 A n 1,453,678 s. s. HOWELL CENTRI FUGAL S EPARAT'OR 57i zzz/e2 r'."

Patented May 1, 1923.

SYLVESTER S. HOWELL, O'CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NORLTO UNITEDCHEEICALANI) ORGANIC PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF5 CHICAGO,` IIfllINOIS, A COPORATION Ollik DELA# WARE.

CENTRIFUGAL SPARATOR.-

Application filed June 12, 1920. Serial No. 388,674.,

te centrifugal sepa- One of the objects is to provide anew and' improved form of separators. v

Another object is to provide a separator in which the material for separation is conveyed thereinto through the open botto-1n thereof.

Another object is to provide an improvedV means for removing the more or less solid residue fromv the substantially vertical filtering wall of the centrifugal rotor.

Another object is to provide a device of the character describedin' which substances may be cooked while undergoing the process of separation.

Other, further and more specific objects ofthe invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the .following description,

when taken in conjunction with the draw ings", wherein Fig.' 1 showsl a plan view ofthe forml of separator shown in Fig. 2, preferably ,made offwood. p Y

Fig; 22 is a central vvertical section ofthe separator shown in Fig, l.

Fig. 3 `shows the form of device when made of sheet metal, preserving the,` same principles of operation. K

In. all the views theA same reference' charactersV are employed to indicate similar parts. The art offs'eparating liquid from more solidmatter with which it may be associated',

by the operation of centrifugal eiect, ,broadly considered, is old, but the arrangement of` introducing the material to be separated' and the removalof the solid matter or residue through the o-pen bottom of the rotating cylinder, or rotor, is believed to kbe new; v

` In this form ofrotor,` or' rotatable cylinf drical container, the residue, or solid mattei' from which the liquid has been extracted, may. conveniently beiremovedl throught the open bottom while the rot-Tor is in motion and fresh supplies may correspondingly be introducedl `into the cylindrical rotor without' stopping it, thuis rendering the separat'- ing operation continuous. The machine is equally-well adapted for batch operation'. In the latterinstance, the rotating container may'fbe filled 'with theappropr`iate quantity of material from which its liquid content is to be' expressed, and, afterthe extracting' op eration has been completed, the' feeding opLv y eration' having previously been suspended,v the` residue'adheringto the Aperipheral wallsof the' rotatable container may b e removedy by a plow, or the like, with a suitablede flec'tor. i .l i'

The machine' is adapted foruse'in the' chemicalindustry where it is" frequently mothery liquor', but in. order to produce" the desired" result all of the mother liquor must be washed from the precipitate, in` which. case theV rotor would be filled with agiven quantity of the material to behandled, andv asmuch ofthe mother Yliquor thrown oli'- as' 4necessary toA removev the'precipitate from the; 'j

feasible and the remaining portion of the liquorlbe'ing' washed out by the introduction of water, or other` liquid, to produce the desired character of precipitata ,p

If, however, it is notdesired to wash the material, the machine may be used as a con-L' tinu'ous unit or may be7 maintained in coi'r'-,v

tinuous operation bythe proper timing o`f"-.

the',motion` of" the vertically' movable feed v pipeandl the'scraping off tool or plow, which shoi'rld loe?r nraintained` in .lines-paralleh, orapproximately .parallel to the"v center or axis of thev machine, by'vr having the feedV nozzles delivering material to' theY filtering wall in the rotatlgimeinber, at different vpoil'lts on'L theinsi'de-'periphery of therotorat any given instance. Thus, when vthe feed pipe is dis=V charging at the tiop* of the filtering wall of the' rotor', the scraping off tool, or plow, is workingatthebottom ofthelwall. f The feedI pipe may be1 operated automatically, up and',l

. down, as shown, in cio-incidence with the plow',

but in alternate relation therewithso that? therew'll" be'lat'thecent'er of travel of thesel two devices,a coincidence of feed and scrap--` ing", thele'ffect of'which is',for'practical purposes, oset by having the'feed pipeA and-fthe scrapenas'fnearly together'asipossib'le so that" thefrotonwill make practically one revolu-` tion' after receiving. a deposit' ofIT feed from the pipe before the plow encounters it for the purpose of removing it.

In the drawings, the rotating container, or cylindrical rotor 5, in the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is made up of a series of joined together staves 6 with intervening battons or splines 7, to break the joints and to make the cylinder substantially water tight. A head 8 is secured in the upper end of the cylinder supported by a ring 9. spider 10 is secured to the head by bolts 11 and to the cylindrical portion by bolts 12. A shaft 13, having bearings 14 and 15, is secured to the center of the spider for the purpose of rotating the rotor or container 5. Hoops 16, 17 and 18 surround the cylinder to hold the staves in place. In the lower end of the cylinder is a ringv 19, similar to the ring 9, leaving an open spa-ce 20 in the bottom wall or ring of the cylinder. At circumferential intervals, a series of flutes or tappered grooves 21, are made on the inner surface of the staves and, these are connected together by an annular groove 22. A series of discharge pipes 23 are arranged in the wall of the cylinder and 'project therebeyond. In this particular instance there are four such pipes. They enter the groove 22 so that they are in communication with all of the tapered vertical Jiiutes or grooves 21. A reticulated inner lining filter wall 24 is bound to the inner wall of the rotating cylinder, being held in place by snap rings 25. The snap rings tend to hold the ltering lining in place while the machine is at rest, the centrifugal eifect serving for the purpose when the machine is in operation. A circular trough 26 surrounds the rotor and is provided with a drain pipe 27. into this trough the pipe or tube 23 from the rotor 5 projects. i'belt 28 is one means by which the rotor may be driven.

The material from which the liquid is to be separated comes in through the supply pipe 29 and the hose 30. This pipe is supported in bearings 31 and 32 and is vertically movable therein. The pipe is provided with a nozzle 32 on its upper end directed towards the foraminous lining 24, but not in contact therewith. A pipe 33 is provided on its end 'with a nozzle 34. Air, under pressure, passes through the hose 35 into the pipe 33 and is projected forcibly from the nozzle 34` which points, preferablvtowards the filtering lining 24 in a direction opposite to the direction of its rotation as shown by the arrows so that the air will forcibly remove the residue 36 which will accumulate on the linning 24 during the process of separation. 1n order that the process may be continuous` it is advantageous to have the nozzle 32 move axially of the machine, in the operation of depositing the material upon the reticulated lining 24, and to have the nozzle 34 move coincidently therewith,

but in opposite direction, so that the material 36 after having the moisture expressed therefrom may be more readily removed.

lt is convenient to have the vertical Inotion of the nozzles 32 and 34 in timed relation and to this end, I provide a shaft 37 supported on standard 38 and carrying a worm wheel 39 and a worm 40 for driving the shaft. cam 41 is provided with a circumferential groove 42 in which a roller 43 from the end of the pipe 29 is received. Upon the rotation of the shaft 37 the nozzle 32 on the upper end of the pipe 29 is given a. uniform vertical movement. A similar cam having a groove 44 to receive the roller on the lower end of the pipe 33, is placed in such a manner on the shaft 37 as to move the pipe 33 in the same manner but in alternate direction. The nozzle 34 produces a thin blade or jet of compressed air, which is discharged from the properly Ishaped orifice therein upon and under the surface 36 within the interior of the centrifugal rotor. By the operation of this sort of nozzle the filter cloth or foraminous lining, when such is used, is maintained quite free of material at all times, thus increasing the filtering capacity of the machine. With a mechanical scraper, in lieu of the pneumatic plow, it would not be possible to run very closely to the inside surface of the cloth for fear of rupturing it and therefore the flexibility of the pneumatic plow offers advantage over the more inflexibile or rigid blades that must be employed for mechanically scraping the material from the device. ily directing the stream of air tangentially in opposite direction to the direction of the rotation of the rotor, the relative velocity of the outcoming air from the jet and the material to be removed is considerably augmented.

ln Fig. 3 l have shown a modified construction embodying all of the principles df operation of the device just described diifering only in the fact that it is conveniently made of sheet metal.

ln the former instance, as in Fig. 2, the device is especially advantageous where acids or other corrosive liquors are being handled or where, in the cooking` process the use of metal is objectionable or prohibited. While the device shown in Fig. 3 might be so constructed that it would advantageously handle similar corrosive liquids, but in this event all of the parts exposed to the action of such liquids would necessarily require to be covered with hard rubber, lead or other materials more or less immune from the destructive effect of such liquids.

in Fig. 3 the vertical wall 5 is foraminous or perforated, at suitable intervals, and there is a filtering lining 24` consisting of a filter cloth made of wool or camels hair, which forms the filter and thru which the liquid must pass on its Way to the trough or circular receptacle 26.` In Fig. 3, thevertical casing 26 extends to the top because of the fact that the extruded liquid Will be projected from the entire vertical, perforated Wall of the rotor and, therefore Wall 26 is extended above the perforated Wall of the rotor in order to catch the 'liquid tha-twill be projected therefrom.

While I have herein shown a preferred form of my invention and one modification to indicate vthe character of variation when the device is made of a different material, it Will be manifest, to persons skilled in the art, that many changes may be made in the configuration and disposition of the parts, Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A centrifugal separator comprising a cylinder having a filtering side wall against which the material is held by centrifugal action and having an open 'bottom thru which the material is free to fall When the rotation of the cylinder is stopped; an axially movable nozzle for projecting the material against the filtering side Wall When the cylinder is being rotated and a means axially movable in alternate timed relation with the nozzle to loosen the. material from the 3. In a centrifugal separator rotatable'to 'filter material, a nozzle to direct a blast ofk y 40.

due to remove it from the separator, said air l air under presure against the material resimoving in a. direction opposite to the direction of the rotary movement of said residue.

4. A centrifugal separator comprising a cylinder having. a filtering side Wall, closed.

at its top end and open at its bottom end;

5. A centrifugal separator comprising aL cylinder having a filtering side Wall', closed at its top end and open at its bottom end; means to rotate it on a substantially vertical axis; a vertically movable nozzle operable thru the open end of the cylinder to deliver material to the side Wall; avertically movable disengaging means operable thruthe open end to remove the ymaterial from the filtering Walls and automatic meansto move the nozzle and disengaging means in timed relation. f

6. A centrifugal separator comprising a rotatable cylinder having kfiltering side Walls and. open at its bottom end; a non-rotatable pipe extending rinto the"cylinder, through its open bottom end to feed materialto the rotating side Walls and means for relatively moving the cylinder and pipe in a vertical'k path. v

`In testimony whereof -I hereunto subf f scribed my name.

sYLvEsTER sHoWELL. l y 

